Changing Trends in Family Life

Small Families Are Affecting Population Growth

The growth of the population has been a big concern for many scientists, economists, and politicians. Although people believe there is a growing population and many people are worried about it, the average fertility rate is too low to sustain the population in the United States. As Deseret News reported on January 2019 "The replacement rate — the number of births needed to maintain the population at its existing level — is 2,100 births per 1,000 women, or an average rate of 2.1 births per woman". The rate of 2.1 births per woman is not being met in any state with the exception of 2 states. Utah and South Dakota are the only states that are having just enough children to maintain the population. "Overall, the U.S. total fertility rate is 1,765.5 births per 1,000 women, compared to 2,227.5 in South Dakota and 2,120.5 in Utah" (Collins). These numbers vary across the country with the lowest rate being in the District of Columbia as stated by Deseret News "The District of Columbia had the lowest total fertility at 1,421.0, well below replacement rate, the report says. DC was also lowest in the total fertility rate for white women, at 1,012 per 1,000." DC is a very expensive location to live and may have an effect on the fertility rates of couples in the area. This study was made in 2017 and it is very possible that right now in 2020 those fertility rates have dropped below the sustainability rate.

These declining numbers may be due to couples delaying having children or deciding to not have children entirely. There is however a good side to these decreasing rates because that includes teen pregnancies. The United States has taken a strong stance on teens getting pregnant. There have been many movements and many opportunities for teens to learn about the importance of safety and protecting themselves. The Deseret News shared this statement regarding teen pregnancies "On one hand, birth rates have been declining in most populations, but especially among teens." Population is shown to be increasing because of the amount of people immigrating into the United States.

So how do these rates have any significance to you? Well, with the declining birth rate it is as big a concern as the rising population only with different consequences. With less children that would mean the elderly would begin to outnumber the working class. The elderly are supported by the worker class because of social security. With the working class shrinking the social security the elderly rely on will also shrink.

Another effect that the shrinking of the working class will create is the lack of employees at various businesses. Any business struggling to find employees runs the risks of going out of business or hiring under-qualified people. Ultimately this will affect the economy which has already been predicted.

In my family I have two older sisters. On my Fathers side of the family we are the only grandchildren. My uncle also never had children. From my grandparents they had two then only my Dad had kids and he had three. 

 

In my generation many people view kids differently than in the past. Children can disrupt careers, create financial burdens, and even create chaos in the home. Many young adults are focused on careers and marriage, they may not want kids right now or they cant afford it. Raising children takes a lot of money and time which some people aren't comfortable with. 

Although children can cause issues and take a lot to raise they can be a huge blessing. Having children could also help stop this issue of declining fertility rates. Without children we have no future.

Collins, Lois M. “Only Two States Had Fertility Levels above Replacement Levels in 2017. Utah Was One of Them.” Deseret News, Deseret News, 10 Jan. 2019, www.deseret.com/2019/1/10/20662955/only-two-states-had-fertility-levels-above-replacement-levels-in-2017-utah-was-one-of-them.